Idle Mind Devil's Workshop

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

Review about a nice MBA-Prep Course

Today I came across this wonderful GK course material for MBA students
designed by Ravi Handa. It is intended for students who are appearing
for IIFT, SNAP and XAT.

The first thing that struck me about the course is the way it is
presented. The entire course is broken down into relevant and easy to
read modules. You have different sections on International companies,
Indian companies, brands, taglines and other headings. The coverage is
quite comprehensive. At times one can feel the quizzer in Ravi Handa
take over from the GK teacher as some sections go into quite a good deal
of details. But I would say it is an attempt to provide students more
information and it is ultimately beneficial for the students only.

One module I liked is the timeline. This is unique to this course
module. Hence, even if someone does not know the exact dates, one can
reasonably make an educated guess about years after seeing the options.
This module helps you in remembering years without actually cramming
them.

The tests provided in the course are also quite stimulating and should
provide good practice for a student. There are tests on current affairs,
static gk as well as business awareness so that one is prepared in all
the relevant areas.

There are also a nice video to explain various concepts about
international trade which is relevant not only for the IIFT entrance
test but for the IIFT interview also.

Another plus point of the course is that it provides old question papers
of various tests. This will give a fair idea of students as to what to
expect.

A downside of the course is that preparing from it can get a bit tedious for a student at times. The presentation format can be improved to make it more attractive to the reader.

Overall, quite a nice course. The price point of Rs 149 is also very
reasonable. Thumbs up to Ravi Handa for coming up with this.

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Tata Crucible Mumbai 2010

Went to see the Mumbai campus round at Taj President. Am glad that I did, for it was a nice quiz. Much better than last year with a number of good teams on stage.

The prelims had 20 questions which were mostly guessable. 2 questions, particularly on Ray Kroc and 7-Eleven were nicely framed. One new thing for me was two questions on Tatas in the prelims. Also, thankfully there were no questions where you had to identify the production houses of Bollywood films. Hopefully that trend will stop from now on.

After the prelims, 6 teams that made it on stage were:Sardar Patel College of EngineeringHR College of CommerceSP JainITMNITIEIRMA

Sadly no team from my alma mater NMIMS made it to stage. I was also surpised to see a team from NITIE and KJ Somaiya to miss out though they did make it to the wildcards.

The finals were better than last year. Some nice questions and some cracking answers made it a great final. The undergrad teams from SPCE & HR College gave some stunning answers. However, the ITM duo looked solid on fundas and well-prepared and it was what set them apart. They did give the audience some entertaining moments when they rapped on & on in 2-3 answers. To me, they were the deserving winners. All the best for the National Finals, guys!

One heartening thing was to see several people from SPCE & HR College turn up to cheer their teams. Their answers were loudly applauded by their mates and they did deserve every bit of it. Well done guys!

Prelims questions:

1. Which famous Indian once said 'Tatas represent the spirit of adventure'?

Ans - captain Gopinath10. pic of Sanjeev Bikchandani11. 'I regard X as my inspiration'- Hitler told this to a Detroit newspaper 2 years before he became Chancellor in 1933. Who is X?

Ans - Henry Ford12. Boeing logo

13. Cover of 'Tipping Point'; author?Ans - Malcolm Gladwell14. SBI ad campaign featuring Dadabhai Nauroji15. Dennis Tomkins, bush & I invented and patented a shoe to 'defy Issac Newton'. Who am I?Ans - Michael Jackson16. These were a series of convenience stores previously called 'U Tote'm'. They were renamed in 1946 to reflect their new extended working hours. Which chain?

Team Composition : Mixed teams allowed amongst Corporates & Mixed teams allowed amongst Students. No mixed teams between Corporates & Students. Quiz Pattern : Top 7 teams make it to the Finals after a written Prelims. Out of these 7 Teams, a minimum of 2 Student Teams will qualify for the Finals i.e. 5 team positions are open.

As per the quizmaster, the quiz will essentially cover a gamut of business related topics but may have questions on general interests as well.